About Us
The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory is a community of scientists and students who study marine and non-marine organisms to learn about the basic biology of life. Our scientists make critical discoveries about how organisms adapt to their environment and how environment, health, and genetics are related. They study a wide range of organisms such as sharks, skates, and sea urchins to learn about development and regeneration. They investigate the root causes of diseases like cystic fibrosis, and they examine the mechanisms that make living creatures age.
Founded in 1898, MDIBL is an independent, non-profit research institution located on the rocky shore of Frenchman’s Bay in Salisbury Cove, Maine. The larger town of Bar Harbor lies a few miles to the east and the mountains and coves of Acadia National Park surround us. The Lab is at once casual and rigorous, collaborative and individualistic.
Research at MDIBL takes place within three centers: the Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine, the Martha and Wistar Morris Center for Environmental Health Sciences, and the John W. and Jean C. Boylan Center for Cellular and Molecular Physiology. Scientists at each center include both permanent MDIBL faculty and adjunct faculty who come to MDIBL for a few weeks or an entire season, often year after year.
Short courses, symposia, and fellowships provide research experience and training to students and scientists at all levels, from high school and college through medical school and senior investigators. Our education programs are always hands-on and engage students in meaningful research. MDIBL is the lead institution for the Maine IDeA Network for Biomedical Research—a research and education network linking MDIBL with The Jackson Laboratory and ten Maine colleges and universities.
Our Mission
To promote research and education in the biology of marine organisms, to foster understanding and preservation of the environment, and to advance human health.
